Canada grows some gonads

One of the UN ‘s favorite activities over the years has been passing an endless series of resolutions slamming Israel for having the temerity to exist and defend itself. These resolutions have become an annual rite of passage; as sure as the monarchs fly south for the winter and the swallows return to Capistrano, the Arabs and their cheering section get together with one or more frivolous, ridiculous objections. These efforts help ensure that undue focus and pressure remains on the Middle East’s sole democracy which, to the region’s and the EU’s profound regret, also happens to be the world’s only sovereign Jewish state.

Canada usually abstains from these votes. The rationale has been that voting against them would compromise out ability to act as an honest broker if and when called upon to do so. Finally, it has come to our attention that these resolutions have more to do with animus against Israel than anything else, and that the resulting logjam has impeded the progress of a peaceful solution. Yesterday for the first time, Canada voted against two anti-Israel resolutions, and aligned itself with that small group of holdouts, included the U.S., Australia, and a handful of miniscule states like Micronesia, that have big enough gonads to vote against the majority. Not only that, Canada’s ambassador to the UN, Allan Rock, gave a scathing speech deploring the UN for entertaining these endless, useless resolutions, which only serve to divert world attention away from more pressing matters. (But really, hasn’t that been the point?)

Predicatably, the shift in policy is raising eyebrows. The government is being accused of ceding its traditional even-steven role, and falling in line with the U.S. In the weeks and months ahead, there will be howls of outrage from the NDP, Arab groups and others who see this as unacceptable support for “fascist” Israel. We shall see if the government has the courage of its newfound convictions and the wherewithall to withstand these attacks.

You might also like

excellent news and I vigorously applaud our neighbors – my only concern is that the new nads will dangle down over our northern borders

Antfreeze

Hehehe. And I’m up in Michigan where the scrotum will undoubtedly dangle. You missed your calling Eric. I’m still chuckling over you intentionally describing yourself as a “titular head” the other day.

Eric Olsen

well then I haven’t missed my calling – thanks

http://www.resonation.ca Jim Carruthers

Heh, Lake Erie, tea-bagging Ohio for 50,000 years.

Seriously though, this is part of the ongoing campaign by jingoists in the States to dismantle any effectiveness the UN has. The General Assembly is a minor part of the UN, and purposefully designed from the outset to be ineffective, but as Churchill said jaw-jaw is preferential to war-war.

Now that the USA can’t use the UN as a sparring forum against the USSR, it is trying to get rid of it instead of making it an effective world body to stop war.

So this shameless cheerleading for war at all costs is just plain bullshit. And Israel is only the proxy puppet they have a hand up.

http://www.kolehardfacts.blogspot.com Mike Kole

Jim, when has the UN ever been an effective body in preventing war? In fact, when has the UN been effective in anything other than passing resolutions?

Keep in mind that I am no cheerleader for war. I would dearly love to see a world body that was an effective diplomatic tool that prevents war while respecting the individula sovereignty of all nations. This is why I am no cheerleader for the UN.

Eric Olsen

the General Assembly is essentially the voice of the Third World, which is fine as far as it goes but has little to do with preventing war and much to do with pursuing an agenda

http://www.booklinker.blogspot.com Deano

The thing is, you are missing the key point. The UN was never designed to work.

The UN, like the League of Nations before it, grew out of the need to develop an multilateral international system that could prevent another World War. And it has.

The objective was to build a forum for discussion, a forum for political and diplomatic rhetoric and manuvering. It was never intended to actually function as a governing body…why else do you think the thing was developed with a Security Council, with permanent members and veto powers? It is intended to offset – to check itself – to prevent any diminishment of national power or sovereignty.

For all the current blather about how bad the UN is, it has been an effective vehicle for diplomacy and prevention for the last 60-odd years. Is it rife with corruption? Hell yes! Is the General Assembly a huge budgetary waste and pursuing a Third World agenda – Hell yes again!

But…recall that the UN has pretty much toed the US line on the key issues until the fall of the USSR. You can’t claim the US hasn’t benefited from the UN…and the US has been as much a contributing party to the sorry state of that world body over the years as anyone else – by design for the most part – because the last thing any major superpower wants is an effective multilateral check on its policies and strategic objectives.

The UN is a toothless debating club. But let’s not be under the illusion that it is anything more than we have made it.